Week in review: miniFlame, Apple kills Java browser plug-in, and how to get promoted in IT security

Here’s an overview of some of last week’s most interesting news and articles:

miniFlame discovered, designed for targeted cyber espionage
miniFlame, also known as SPE, was found by Kaspersky Lab’s experts in July 2012, and was originally identified as a Flame module.

eBay phishers quickly react to branding change
eBay has recently redesigned its logo, and it didn’t take long for some phishers to modify their attempts to match the change.

SMBs not concerned about cybersecurity
U.S. small business owners or operators have a false sense of cybersecurity as more than three-fourths (77 percent) say their company is safe from cyber threats such as hackers, viruses, malware or a cybersecurity breach, yet 83 percent have no formal cybersecurity plan.

Security implications of the rise of silicon-based life forms
Computing has entered a new era marked by the emergence of a new life form, a silicon based life form, where the center of the paradigm is not human to computer interface, but is instead silicon life form to silicon life form interface, machine to machine.

How to get promoted in IT security
Not only has landing a job become more difficult; it’s also getting harder to get promoted once you have the job. Here are some tips to getting ahead in today’s competitive, cutting-edge world of IT security.

Despite risks, organizations embracing cloud-based email
Many organizations are holding off on migrating email to the cloud in order to first assess the security, compliance and other risks against uncertain cost benefits.

Malware targeting Skype missed a trick
Last week reports came out stating that the Dorkbot worm is now targeting Skype users. The worm fools users into downloading the malware, whose payload locks down machines. Once infected, users’ contact lists are pinged with the message “LOL is this your new profile pic?” and a .zip file.

Network complexity causes security incidents
Complex network security policies, such as those found in multi-vendor environments, are directly related to system outages and security breaches.

Hack In The Box celebrates a decade of security conferences
The latest Hack In The Box Security Conference saw the return of over 40 of the most popular speakers from the last decade presenting in a triple track format over 2 days.

Most people want control of information collected by data brokers
As Congress examines how data brokers collect, aggregate and share consumers’ personal information, a new survey by TrustedID shows that most people are confused about how data brokers operate and want centralized control of how data brokers handle their personal information.

Phishing attacks increasingly target brands
The number of brands targeted by phishing attacks sustained an all-time high of 428 in April of this year, the second record-breaking quarter for cybercrime brand abuse reported by the APWG this year.

Tips for protecting your privacy
Every month more than 5,000 people take to Twitter to complain about how their mobile device has been snooped on or their visual privacy invaded. Who can’t resist eavesdropping on a conversation or glancing over at what someone is reading or working on?

Multi-platform attack site discovered via fake Lookout Android app
Researchers from security firm TrustGo have recently spotted on Google Play a bogus app that supposedly automatizes the updating of a batch of other apps. What piqued their interest was the fact that, once installed, the app could not be found in the Application List, but only in the Downloaded app list, and sporting the logo of the mobile security firm Lookout.

Enterprise IT supply chains will be compromised
Enterprise IT supply chains will be targeted and compromised, forcing changes in the structure of the IT marketplace and how IT will be managed moving forward, according to Gartner. By 2017, IT supply chain integrity will be identified as a top three security-related concern by Global 2000 IT leaders.

French hacker arrested for creating, spreading SMS Trojan
A 20-year-old from Amiens, France, has allegedly managed to steal around half a million of euros (over $650,000) by creating and distributing a Trojan disguised as legitimate Android apps.

Newest Apple Java update kills the Java browser plug-in
Determined not to fall behind on its Java updates, Apple has issued the latest one on Tuesday, the very same day that Oracle pushed out its own. But the big news isn’t in the lack of delay, but it Apple’s decision to uninstall its Java applet plug-in from all web browsers.

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